Darker instincts
by Nayida
Summary: A serial killer decides to help the Undertaker and Grell get rid of society's scum in secret from the dispatch. This story is about twisted emotions, human feelings and the lack of them, dark desires and blood and gore. Slight Undertaker romance. Rated M for graphic and very violent scenes. Ps. I suck at summaries. :)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

Grell smiled at himself in the mirror. Tonight was going to be a very fun and interesting night. The new death lists had just come in and in there seemed to be something he had been waiting for a while. It had to be. He would have to look his best, after all making a first impression was crucial when it came to making new contacts. He took his sweet time in finishing his make-up, making sure every line and highlight was on spot, each lash was straight and his lips were coloured to perfection. His long red hair could remain straight but he made sure it was anything but flat and that it veiled beautifully around his body. But the thing he loved the most was dressing up. The modern fashion had started to lose the traditional gender roles and being a true lady no longer meant wearing long puffy dresses with corsets. His waistline was perfection even without those. So he chose a tight and white button down shirt with ruffles on the collar, white skinny jeans, black killer heels and topped it all off with a red swing coat that made his figure look like that of a Barbie doll's. Yup, he was smoking. Though he loved his glasses he had worn for centuries, today contact lenses would be better. Another modern improvement. Feeling gorgeous he walked out of his bedroom and out into the rapidly darkening night.

Today it would be three young men and it was going to be brutal. Grell smiled as he watched from a rooftop to the entrance of a nightclub and saw a handsome man walk out with a young woman. Finally. The woman seemed to be way too intoxicated already, even though the evening had not gotten that late. She probably was not even drunk, that looked more like what roofies did to someone. This was going to be good.

The man was walking the woman along the street. People around would not pay attention to the two, only a few disapproving glances towards the woman's condition. That's it. Either no one cared of such matters that did not directly concern them or maybe no one just thought that there was anything to it. Either way, they walked undisturbed. The night had gotten completely dark but the lights and the people all around kept the city alive. The air was cold, it would probably even snow soon if it kept up like this. Grell loved snow, which unfortunately was not an often enough seen sight. The way everything turned white as if covering for the mistakes of the world. And the way everything else contrasted to the pure veil.

The couple reached an alley. The girl gave no objection when the man walked her in there, deeper and deeper and away from the fluorescent lights. Only a couple of cold streetlights kept the blackness away from the narrow street among the buildings. A tiny little hell made purely out of concrete. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop Grell kept up with them until they reached a small opening in the dead end. That's where the man's two friends were waiting.

"Heeeeey, babe, what's up? Have you had too much to drink?" asked the tallest one laughing. He was dressed nicely as all three of them were, not looking like the kind of guys who would usually hang out in dark alleys. They would have fitted more properly to a university café, each of them handsome and well groomed. _Oh how interesting. This is just a fun and sadistic game to them, not a desperate necessity in order to get laid,_ Grell thought. In a moment all three of them were circling the girl, the man who brought her still holding her up. With a promise to make her feel better the tall one reached closer to her, slipped her coat off her and released her long platinum blonde hair from a ponytail. It fell into a veil around the girl and the man bent down apparently intending to kiss or lick her ear.

Then suddenly an ear wrenching scream. A man's scream. A gush of blood. More blood. Spatters all around. And a high pitched giggle. Grell smiled. It was as if it had started raining rubies, the dim lights sparked the thousands of single drops spreading from the fountain into life and they turned black as they touched the cobble stones on the ground. A splash dyed the dark brick wall behind them into a sickening scarlet shade. It started dripping in tiny rivers onto the lids of the two long forgotten square trash cans. A pulse, a gush. Another pulse, another gush. The other two men froze not understanding what had happened as the tall one fell to the cold ground rapidly bleeding out.

"Mmmmmmh…. You really did make me feel better" the high pitched voice said cheerfully. The girl was smiling as she licked the blood on her lips, her eyes glimmering and alive. "Now what about you two? Can you please me as well?" Without giving them the time to react she jumped grinning towards the man in front of her, managing to trip him. The man who had walked her out of the club sprinted off, suddenly desperate to get off the alley. She grabbed the fallen man's hair and bashed his head onto the hard stones. A crack. Again the skull rose and hit the ground in the delicate hand. A wetter crack. A splash. In three bashes his head had turned into a gory mush of brains, pieces of skull and blood that spilled out of him like a dropped bag of groceries that no one bothered to pick back up. The girl shook the gore off her hand and stood up. One more to go. The little rabbit had gone running.

But she was fast. There was no hope for her escort to escape anymore. With a laughter she started chasing him.

"Heeey, I thought we were going to have a party! You can't leave this early!" she giggled as she jumped to his back gracefully like a gazelle. He went down as well, not prepared to take the extra weight of her body so suddenly. He fought hard but she was strong and managed to lie him onto his back and sat on top of him. His hands tried to restrain her but she barely seemed to even notice his futile efforts for his life. Still laughing she literally tore the man apart. She dug her nails into his stomach and with incredible force ripped him completely open. The nails dug in just below the man's ribcage and a splash of drops flew into the air from the impact of the tearing skin. The girl embraced it with her mouth open and let out a delicate moan as the drops kissed her pale skin. The opening let out a slowly filling pool of blood that started flowing across his sides. She gently massaged the wet insides of the male before digging her hands deeper into him and hummed in bliss as she squeezed her skinny fingers around his ribcage from the inside and made it crack. The man's fighting arms dropped. His breathing slowed and disappeared. And the girl tilted her head backwards, breathed deeply the cold air, laughed and then started to lick her hands. The sight of her brought Grell some nostalgic memories.

"Oh, you were so cute. I'm so happy we got to have some fun together. Mmmmhh. You look even prettier now. Oh shoot, I think I forgot the drink you bought me onto the counter. Hmm, I don't think it is safe to go back for it, you never know what they put into them these days. Such pigs are all around. Luckily you were a real gentleman, walking me home and all" she said, dipped her index finger into the man's bloody intestines and licked it like a delicacy. Giggle.

"Now. How about you, are you ever going to introduce yourself?" she smiled up looking straight into Grell who was sitting on the rooftop. He froze. There was supposed to be no way she could see him. That was impossible. He was a reaper, only to be seen if he himself wished that or if the people were dying. So much for making a first impression then. Maybe this girl was way too close to death and it allowed her to able to see beyond this world. Grell tried to gather his dignity and gracefully jumped down.

"Excuse me for a moment" he said and started his deathscythe. He reaped each of the men while the girl watched in awe as the scythe went in. When he was done he smiled at the girl.

"Allow me to introduce myself. A Shinigami, a death God, a reaper in service of collecting the souls of all your friends here! Grell Sutcliff!" he said and made a seductive pose. The girl clapped her red hands at him.

"Hi Grell! I'm Nita. You have been following me for a while."

"Oh, just admiring your work while you have kept me busy with mine. You do have some amazing dates! Ah, I'm so jealous! Where do you even find all these pretty men? Today even a triple date! But all three of them just for you, no other women to try to screw up your game."

Grell observed the girl properly close up for the first time. She was cute as a button with her tiny figure and huge green eyes. Her long hair was almost as white as snow just as her skin and her lips were very pale pink. She was dressed in a short white dress that had now turned mostly red. She used to have a coat with her too but Grell had no idea where it had gone. She looked innocent and sweet even in her heavy winged eyeliner. Her body and face was covered in blood spatters. So pretty in red. She smiled at him.

"I think I can try to find some hot guys for you too if you'd like? There are plenty."

"So intriguing. But... my heart is already taken, so I must use my charms to get them on a date with me. Soon they will fall and I will have my happily ever after." he said dramatically. "Anyways… About your work. You seem to like it?" he grinned a cheshirecat-like smile. She laughed.

"Work? No, this is just a hobby. It's fun and all but it doesn't pay the bills. Also for it to be "work", I would need a greater goal. Hmm. I never thought about that. See, I am not on a mission or a payroll. That is an interesting choice of words. But yeah, this is fun! I had always dreamed about doing this kind of things. I guess you know already that I only started doing this a while ago." Grell looked back at her confused. He knew her "hobby" came out of a twisted instinct she had given into and not out of the need to hand out justice to pigs but maybe if there was no conviction at all he would not succeed with his idea.

"Well, it's nice for a girl to have hobbies. I was just wondering if you would happen to be interested in a hunt?"

"Uuu, sounds fun. Tell me more." Her eyes glimmered with interest. She was still sitting on her dates lap and she took another taste on her finger. Grell wondered if he should be shuddering but he didn't.

"See, there are these… swines. And they would be really ripe for a good hunt." Grell grinned at the idea. "Unfortunately I, as a professional am not able to take part in such a fun activity but their MO got me sorta thinking of yours. And that maybe you might be interested in hunting in your own league. They seem to be having the same hobby as yours but their practises towards women make me want to rip their heads off. And they give me way too much work. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job but these guys need to be on my death list and soon. That's where you would come in. Discreetly, of course. I cannot be involved in the matters of human lives. But this is starting to feel almost personal."

"Sure, I think that sounds like fun. I'm in!"

"Huh? Just like that?" This was way easier than Grell had ever expected.

"Well yeah. Why not? I have my hobby and you have a suggestion for a bigger, funnier prey. Of course I'm in! It's a win-win situation. So who are they?" she asked thrilled.

"Umm, that falls unfortunately to the Shinigami jurisdiction. I cannot tell you, it is prohibited as their identities are unknown to everybody except the reapers who have seen them at their work. It is a stupid rule but if I gave you that information it would be too easily traced right back to me. And I have not been in any trouble for years and I wish to remain so. Now this whole thing is bending the rules and I cannot let my involvement be noticed. Officially I am not involved in any way, right?" She looked to be considering something.

"But I didn't even know of their existence. I have never heard of them. How could I find them without any leads?"

"Yes, it has been kept quiet and out of the media. But I have a friend who might be able to help if we could just convince him on board with this. Without him this probably will not work at all. But I had to ask you first of course."

"You seem to have some fun friends. You are the first person with whom I ever even got to talk about doing this. Who is he?"

"A pathologist."

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After a quick change of clothes in her apartment Nita found Grell waiting for her right outside. She had kept loyal to her evening's choice and put on another short white dress with long sleeves. Over it she wore a fur lined leather jacket and her feet were covered with high heeled boots. She shivered as the cold air hit her when she walked out the door. It was the middle of the night but the city never really slept and tonight neither did she. If she hadn't been so vain she would have worn something warmer, but the stamina of the Saturday night just begged for glamour and her blood ran way too hot. She had corrected her make-up after removing the blood on her skin but you could still see some on her hair. It didn't matter though, not a single person would take a big notice at this hour and the only person she would probably see tonight was going to be the pathologist whom she would not need to hide from. So she had just shrugged it off in front of the mirror. Grell had explained to her that the pathologist was a retired Shinigami who now made all the research with the bodies of the murdered.

They walked deeper into the night and towards the hospital in which the Shinigami worked. It was not that far from her apartment but the walk was not pleasant with her boots and Nita found herself wishing they would have grabbed a cab. At this time the drivers were busy though and getting one would have meant even more time spent on the journey. So she sucked it up and walked in the attire she had chosen. Soon they reached the hospital and headed towards the morgue. Grell had assured her that he would be still working tonight.

The morgue was situated in the very end of the large building and to get there one had to descend to the cellar underground. The fluorescent lights were bright enough to hurt their eyes as they came in from the darkness of the night. Everywhere it smelled like disinfectants and something else. The walls were white with ugly pastel green boards that were supposed to bring some kind of calm into people but in Nita's opinion they failed miserably. They reached the last steps and walked to a heavy double door. Usually the doors in hospitals had windows but this one did not, probably to prevent anyone seeing a dissection from outside. Grell knocked and walked right in without waiting for an answer. The area was huge and covered mostly in white ceramic tiles. The metal tables were everywhere, some attached to drains, others with wheels. On the walls were tens of metallic cubic storage units for the bodies, all of them closed. The air was cold to prevent too early decomposition. And in the back of the room was a big desk in front of which the pathologist was seated.

The Shinigami lifted an expressionless gaze from his papers as they entered. He was a gorgeous and a bit androgynous man. His thick silver hair was gathered into a single long braid, he wore glasses with light spectacles and behind them his green eyes shone a yellowish glimmer. His face and neck were split with two long scars. He wore a white lab coat and under it a white buttoned shirt and dark jeans.

"Hello, Grell. Long time, no see. What do you need this time?" he directed his question at Grell but looked at the blood stains in the girl's hair.

"Hiiiiiii. So nice to see you again. You look as pretty as ever. But I am quite insulted that you straight assume that I need something. Couldn't I just come see you to catch up?" A faint smile crossed the pathologist's lips but he remained silent and waited for an answer to his question. Grell sighed.

"Meet my friend Nita" he said directing his hand to the girl. Nita walked up to him and held out her hand.

"Hi. You're like, super beautiful. I would really like to play with you sometimes" she purred smiling with her lips slightly parted. She was a master at making something seem extremely innocent but at the same time implicate that there was nothing innocent to it. The pathologist frowned. He knew what he looked like but he had never gotten used to the aggressive ways modern women used to implicate their attraction. It was a lot easier in the old days when a decent woman would just hide all the immoral thoughts they may have had. He was so old that asides from appreciating beauty he did not really feel the need to interact intimately with women. He smiled politely anyway and stood up as he gave the girl his hand. Only then did she really see how very tall he was.

"I am pleased to meet you, Nita. You may call me Adrian if you wish." That was not his real name though. His actual name had been gone for so long that even he himself didn't really recognize it anymore. Nor would he speak it to anyone. It had been easier a century ago when everyone was content in just calling him the undertaker when he was working as a mortician. No one cared for names when one's profession defined who they were. With the modern ages and the requirements in practicing medicine an official identity was required. So he used this name for now. Some reapers still called him undertaker and he did not oppose.

He lifted his head up from the light polite bow he had given to the lady and took turns to look at both of his guests.

"As pleased as I am from getting the company I somehow doubt that you two happen to be here tonight just to ask me how I am?"

"Well…" Grell grinned. "Not entirely." He went straight to the point. "You probably remember those gruesomely treated ladies you have been receiving discreetly? So one day it crossed my mind. I just thought that what if there was a way to speed up the conclusion of the case, to bring the disgrace to an end and the murderers to …. the grave?" He smiled an innocent smile at that. "If there was someone who could do that without it affecting the Shinigami code? Like, say, a passionate and strong serial killer who would love nothing more than to have a little hunting game?" Nita smiled an innocent smile and waved her fingers to the pathologist. That was not what he had expected their business to be. Quite blunt, indeed. He looked at the girl with a serious expression hiding his surprise. He wasn't quite shocked though, he had seen manic killers before and they did not usually look like it at first. And the girl's hair was covered in blood. That meant…

"Are you the other one who has been working me this much lately?" he asked the girl politely. He thought about the bodies. All males, all brutally murdered with a manic passion. Some were killed without any appliances, just hands and teeth, but some had been treated with variating edged weapons. Someone, she, had really been enjoying the gore and the show of their insides. But there were also indications that possibly all of the victims were some kind of abusers. She probably enjoyed making them feel overpowered in the hands of a tiny pretty girl. He found that immediately interesting.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Have I been causing you trouble? I never actually thought about it from that view" she seemed to be genuinely apologetic.

"No trouble. This is my work. But Grell." he turned to look at the redhead. "Another Madame Red? Have you not learned anything?"

"It is not the same this time! I will not be really involved and therefore not breaking any rules. I just barely made a suggestion for her and she was immediately on board. That is basically where my involvement ends."

"And then why are you here seeing me?" Grell seductively sat on the desk in front of which the pathologist stood. He reached to run a finger on his arm as he explained.

"But aren't you like the master of secrets? With a secretive veil you might be able to help her get closer to them. You do understand that I am in no place to give out any information about the Shinigami business but I'm sure a smart guy like you, having inspected the bodies and all, could get after them."

"The dispatch might find out if I get involved in their deaths. And really, why should I get mixed into human affairs?"

"Oh, you wouldn't get involved in the deaths, that would be all her. You would just help her find the way. You cannot access the death lists anymore. So you are not taking any sides as you do not know what is going to happen. You are no longer required to follow the Shinigami procedures as strictly as I am as you cannot affect the human lives and deaths if you do not know whether they are supposed to live or die. Unless of course you decide it would be fun to start raising the dead. And does it not bother you to see what they do to the innocent ladies?" The pathologist mulled that over in his head. The redhead did have a point, there would be no harm if he wished to help the girl. It would be like old times, he would give information from the underworld to those who he considered worth it regardless of what they might do with the information given. He could not decide the actions of others. And the murderers were scum that only caused the whole world nothing but trouble. He looked at the girl. She smiled at him in return. Just like another puppy dog with teeth itching for blood to be released upon the trash of society. How nostalgic the whole situation was.

"Congratulations, Grell. You have made your point. I suppose I could consent." Grell jumped from the table and jumped to him, clinging into his neck.

"Aaaa, you are the best! I knew you could be counted on! And your payment?" he smiled at the older Shinigami. He let go as he saw the emotionless face he was wearing.

"It will be for free. Making such payments these days would be too difficult for you" he smiled sadly.

The two had made their departure after they had agreed that Nita would come back the next evening to go over the cases. The night was not over for a pathologist, though. The detective wore a grave face as he announced another three bodies coming up and that he needed the reports as soon as possible. All three of them were rolled in and in solitude, one by one he unveiled them. He knew whose work this was and wondered what the detective would say if he knew he was having a date with her tomorrow. The idea made his lips curl up.

Then he wondered again. Is this what she might have meant by wanting to play with him? A weird shiver ran down his spine and he did not know why.

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 ** _Hey, I hope you guys liked it though it is only the beginning. I will be writing this weekend and hope to add the next chapter as soon as possible._**

 ** _I have sketched this story into about five chapters. Please review! :) xoxo_**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Nita looked up to her phone when she heard the familiar ping. A message from an unknown number, something interesting or just telemarketing? She clicked the message open with her manicured fingers.

"Would you care to join me at Teddy's pub this evening instead of the hospital? It is just a suggestion, we may also keep the original plan if you wish. Shall I call on you? Unfortunately I do not know where you live. Kindly let me know. Best regards, Adrian" She smiled at the formal message. _Call on me? Boy, you know nothing of the modern ages. Ain't no one calling on anyone anymore._ She typed her reply.

"Yeah, it's cool. I googled it, it's close to the hospital, right? I can meet you there. 7 okay to you?"

"Yes, 7 pm. is fine. I will be waiting for you in front of the pub then. –A."

"Cool, I'll see you there!"

She felt pleasantly surprised of the suggestion, hospitals really weren't her thing but a nice pub sounded like a lot more fun to be discussing gruesome matters. _Hopefully it is a quiet place, can't be talking about all that in a huge crowd like it's normal._ She stretched herself on the couch and turned up the volume of her music. The sun was shining into her living room and made rainbows on the walls when it reflected on the glasses on her kitchen counter. She had a nice apartment, the living area and the kitchen were combined and divided by a bar that acted as a kitchen table and her small bedroom was on the other side. Everything in her home was simple, minimalistic and black and white. She felt like the order of her home helped her deal with the chaos of the world and her own mind. That's why she only had a couple of white leather bar stools in front of the shiny black bar, a black leather couch, a tv on the wall and a white fluffy carpet. The floors and walls were white. In her bedroom she had a big closet with mirror doors, a bed with white sheets, a nightstand on either side and the same kind of carpet, only this one was black. She didn't consider herself a passionate decorator but she was pleased with the way everything looked.

She lay on the couch for a few minutes like a cat enjoying the warming feel of the sun. She considered it too bad it would still be cold outside. But she felt excited. Meeting the two Shinigami felt like an answer to her scream in this sick world and made her feel like there is hope after all. They were the first ones she could talk to and them existing meant for sure there was more than meets the eye. She had always known it but now it was certain. She also felt happy about going to a pub, she hadn't really gone out as herself in ages. Her social life was quite poor. And just because her so called date was kinda chilly it didn't mean she couldn't look absolutely striking. So she got up and went to put her hair and makeup on fleek even though she still had a few hours to go before she needed to leave.

Her heart was beating pleasantly when she finally walked out of her apartment. This time she had chosen ripped latex leggings and leather boots with straps and put on a simple tight black t-shirt dress and put a belt with silver chains on her waist. Her thick hair was curled in the ends and she had the same leather jacket with fur she had worn the night before. She felt she looked like a killer Barbie and that was her aim. This time she didn't bother walking but took the subway and rode a few stops.

Nita always got a lot of looks from naïve men who were silly enough to think she was sweet. She had gotten used to that and rarely ever even looked anyone directly in the eyes, it didn't feel right to encourage them into thinking that she could somehow be reached. She could never love a man like that nor would she ever give herself to the likes of them. So she kept her icy façade when going in public.

After a short while she reached her stop and walked out of the subway and continued her way for a few more minutes while checking out google to make sure she found the place. She knew she was in the right place when she saw the silver haired man standing in the street.

"Oh my God" she said grinning when she reached him and looked at him head to toe.

"What?" he frowned and looked at her with question on his face. He looked nothing like the doctor from last night. His long hair was open, he did not wear any glasses and his ears were full of piercings. He was wearing black and quite skinny jeans with white tennis shoes, a white fitting t-shirt with a v-neck and a black leather jacket with a college hood attached to it.

"Nothing. You just don't exactly look like you did last night."

"Oh. Well, good evening to you too. And you look lovely by the way. I do not always dress like a doctor on my free time and some things I even couldn't wear at work."

"Ah, like your ears. They are beautiful" she said reaching up to touch the industrial piercing. He gently grabbed her wrist before she could reach him.

"Oh, you let Grell hold you like a lover. Do we need a deeper bond for that? Or are you two..? Lovers, I mean" she asked with a meaningful smile.

"No. We are not lovers. But Grell wasn't reaching for my ears" he said softly and let her hand go. She grinned.

"Do your ears tickle you in all the wrong places?"

At that he just stared at her with a blank expression for a few seconds and when not knowing what to say to that he offered her his hand.

"Shall we go inside?" She looked at the hand and wondered if she should apologize for making him feel uncomfortable but she rarely saw men she considered beautiful so she couldn't help it, her mouth just spoke things before she could stop it. And on the other hand it was her style to confuse people, in a way to keep the distance between herself and anyone. She thought it better not to explain herself though and took the hand despite the gesture being so old fashioned.

He walked her into the pub in front of which they had been standing. It was luckily pretty quiet and seemed private enough for their needs. The décor was quite dark with wooden booths and bar and the place was mainly lit with dim green lamps and a few candles in each booth. It was not a very big place and seemed intimate and calm. There were some customers but the place was not packed. He walked her all the way to a booth in the far corner and helped her out of her jacket before she sat onto the cushioned wooden bench. He then took off his jacket as well to reveal a simple black sweater he was wearing over his t-shirt. He carefully hung the jackets next to the booths and sat himself onto the opposite side.

"Are you hungry?" he asked and handed Nita the menu. She looked to be hesitating so he continued.

"I know I am. So please join me for a bite if you feel like it at all."

"Well, yeah… I'm actually quite starving." He let out a small chuckle and rolled his eyes. Now it was Nita's turn to frown.

"What?" she asked on her turn. He smiled and looked at the menu.

"Century after century women always seem to be starving but never have the courage to admit to it when asked. I wonder how you survive when no one asks you. Why did you hesitate?"

"Centuries? How old are you?" Nita asked with a cold frown. He looked up from his menu, winked and lowered his gaze back again. Nita decided to ignore his question as he had basically ignored hers and started looking at the menu he had handed to her.

"I'm thinking flank steak and fries" she said after a moment.

"Sounds good to me. What are you drinking?"

"Same as you."

"House pale ale it is then. Hold on, I'll go place the order" he said and walked to the bar. She watched him move gracefully and soon he had a number plate and two pints in his hands and he walked back to the table and set the drinks down. They sat in silence for a while until Nita asked.

"Why meet here and not at the hospital?"

"I am always at the morgue. I just thought it would be nice for a change to go somewhere else, especially when I have company. Would you have preferred to meet there?"

"Oh no, I am not a fan of hospitals, but this is nice. I always feel sick when I go to those places. No one ever goes to a hospital to do something nice."

"What about childbirth?" he suggested.

"Well, technically I don't think the process is very pleasant. The outcome might be to some. But I will never have children so it is out of the picture for me."

"Why not?" he asked and she looked back to him as if accusing him of being stupid but gave him no reply. So he continued, cursing himself in his mind for being untactful with the question and decided to go straight to business.

"Well, anyway, it is nice that you agreed to my suggestion. Now, about the case. I did some work today on their latest victim and I have yet to report my findings to the police. So we are one step ahead of them but not for long. They will be calling me soon about it. Luckily there are three more bodies related to another case which may give me some cover for why my work has been slow." He looked at her meaningfully. She tried to hold back but she could not help her lips curling up to a smile. The idea of all the fun last night and how they got what was coming for them for trying to mess with her and the fact that they ended up on his table all fresh… It was exciting and it made her blush and she started playing with her hair innocently.

"You do… realize that you have spread your DNA all over, right?" he asked seriously.

"Yeah, I do… I'm not stupid. But firstly, my sample is nowhere so they cannot match me from any database. And secondly, I will not live for very long so my goal is not to never get caught. They will eventually find out who I am unless they are complete idiots. I know the basics but I am no criminal mastermind." He stayed silent for a moment and watched as she took a long sip from her drink. He did not dare to ask about the claim she just made about her life expectancy.

"What about security cameras? Eye witnesses?"

"I am always somewhat disguised and I avoid the cameras. I pretty much know where they are and what angle they usually film. I have become good like that. But yes, the eye witnesses are my biggest weakness. I never strike where I am likely to be seen and I trust that in a city of millions it is not that easy to find someone based on the memory of a single person. Witnesses vary too, everyone remembers things their own way. And usually I am not publicly seen with the vic's. Last night was an exception due to their nature. And I never carry anything personal with me or wear anything that isn't mass produced."

"Dental records?"

"I have not have records taken during my adult life. My teeth have always been very healthy" she smiled. "I have nothing to lose. So I will do what I shall for now and we'll see from there. How do you feel about my actions?"

Before he got to answer that the waiter walked up to their table with their food and asked if they needed refills for their drinks, which they accepted. They paused their conversation and dug into the delicious food and soon the waiter was back again with new pints.

"You said you found something at work?" she said after a moment of silent eating.

"Ah, yes. " He had been lost in thought and the food had been a welcome distraction from the odd conversation at hand. He was not sure how he would have answered her interrupted question and after taking a moment to dig into the delicious meat he still had not made up his mind. The truth was he had pondered that question a lot during the last hours. "Her body had been laying on a key for a while and it had left a mark on her skin. I managed to narrow it to a countryside hotel a couple hour's drive from here. That's where she probably was killed but her body was dumped here. Or, it could be of course that she was somewhere where someone had the key with them but it seems a bit unlikely. Why would someone carry a key from a hotel that far away? There have been no signs like that in the previous victims, there has been no way to medically determinate the place of the murder." She lifted her eyebrows at his finding.

"Tell me about these killings. I know nearly nothing about them. How many have there been? And what makes these so special Grell wants to get rid of them?"

"There have been six so far. All women, all under the age of 45 but otherwise there has been no connection between them. They have been of different hair colour and different race. They are not targeted by social class or any area in the city though all of them have lived in the city. No connection through work or hobbies or social circles, they just seem random." he took a pause to drink before he continued. "They were all raped, brutally and multiple times it seems. No DNA was found though. But it doesn't stop there, they were also…. mutilated. Tortured. The methods vary but all of them had their eyes stabbed to complete destruction with sharp objects. It is not possible to medically determine a timeline for whether they were blinded before or after the rapes or even during but I do not know if it matters for the victims anyway. I suppose if it had been done before, the pain of it all would have been even more excruciating. But on the other hand, had it been done after… They might have had a glimpse of hope that once the raping was through, it would have been over. Then all of it would have been destroyed and they would have known that instead of release they would only find death." He paused for a moment as he wondered in those dark thoughts. "Either way would probably be as bad."

"Oh, I see" Nita said quietly. "No wonder Grell was pissed. Pigs with cocks and unable to keep them controlled." He suddenly started coughing when taking a deep gulp in surprise to her choice of words.

"Hey, don't choke" she said surprised. Then she realized and her attitude changed. "Is it because of what I said? Can't I say cock?" she grinned.

"Well, even if you do I will never get used to that being mentioned in a casual conversation." He took his last uneven breaths and tried to stabilize his throat.

"In what kind of conversations can it be mentioned then?" she said purring and tilted her head to the side. He blinked a couple of times squinting his eyes and decided to take another sip.

"So to return to the previous subject, I was wondering if you would like to go check out the hotel, to see if there is something to be found before the cops get there. I will have to report to them soon."

"You are good at dodging all of my bullets, aren't you?" she asked smiling amused about the swift change of subject. He flashed an unexpected and magnificent grin that broke his icy façade a bit.

"Oh, I really try hard." She chuckled a bit at that and felt a bit more relaxed as she ate the last bites she could stuff into herself. He had finished all of his food a bit earlier than her.

"I can go check the hotel out" she said.

"I would be coming with you. I have a few days off, I have been doing nothing else but working. It is time I took some time off, especially for this."

"Why, you don't think I can handle myself? Or defend myself if it comes to that?" She felt annoyed about the idea of someone thinking she might need babysitting.

"Well… Let's just say, that this being the case I do not feel entirely comfortable taking the risk. I would not wish to have you on my table in such condition" he said slowly.

"But you wouldn't have a problem with another kind of condition?" He blinked with a serious expression when she said that.

"What do you want me to say to that? I have seen many familiar faces on my table over the years. Never have I wished for them to end up there." His voice was soft and calm.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

"It's okay. It's just that I do see a lot of people on my table and have no control over it. But I shall take you to the hotel tomorrow if that's okay to you?"

"Sure, I'll be ready when you are. Do I need to pack for an overnight trip?"

"Preferably, yes. I want to check it out in peace. Of course, if we are sure about our findings then we may leave tomorrow as well."

"Which hotel is it?"

"It's called the Woodmoore Inn. Do you know the place?"

"No, but I'll google it."

"Google. Of course." He sighed and smiled at his old fashionness. "May I pick you up this time?"

"Yeah, sure" she said laughing. "You know, you are the first person ever to suggest they would call on me. Especially in those words. It is just not very modern. But I'll text you my address. How are we going?"

"Well, that's a shame, I consider it a very basic manner for a gentleman. But I suppose times change. Google. Text. Whatever. But I can drive us there. Now that's a change I find welcome." He smiled lightly as he said that.

"Okay, I suppose I will see you tomorrow then" she said and gulped the rest of her drink down her throat and stood up to leave.

"Unless there was still something?"

"No, I don't think there is for now" he said and did the same. He insisted on paying for their bill and that was something she could not argue against. It would have gone against every manner he was ever taught to let her pay for anything, especially when he had invited her there as his guest. So he paid and they walked back out into the street.

"May I walk you home?" he asked.

"Man, I'm fine. But thanks. And for the food and drinks as well. It was nice to get outside. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved her hand grinning and started off towards the subway. He stood there for a moment watching her leave and wondered when times had changed this much.


End file.
